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GUELPH — The dream matchup is now in place, a rare opportunity for southern Ontario to celebrate the uniqueness and charm of three-down football.

Sunday’s East Division semifinal was not one for the ages, a game that required overtime, but the reward is an Argonauts-Ticats meeting indoors, with the potential for fireworks and high-octane offence.

Hamilton’s 19-16 win over the Montreal Alouettes was far from pretty, but the Ticats did produce touchdowns on their final two series of the match.

The Alouettes had more than enough chances, but weren’t good enough, unable to avoid many self-induced wounds that could not be overcome.

Credit Hamilton for once again finding a way to win, but clearly the Ticats must be better as next Sunday’s East final at the Rogers Centre now sets the stage for an epic renewal of a bitter rivalry.

Hamilton scored its only major in regulation on its final possession, a 97-yard drive punctuated by a C.J. Gable pass-and-run play from 17 yards out with 1:04 remaining.

“It means a lot,’’ said Gable, held to two rushing attempts for minus-6 yards, of playing indoors next week. “No worries about the weather or the ball blowing away, rain or anything. It’s going to be good for us.

“Argos-Ticats, a big rivalry. With this game coming up, it’s going to be a big deal.”

A big crowd — at least there should be at the dome — a big stage and a big opportunity for the Argos and Ticats.

Whether it was poor play- calling, questionable coaching, lack of execution, discipline or ball security — take your pick — Sunday’s sluggish and sloppy semi will be quickly forgotten, especially in southern Ontario, a market the CFL has been trying to address for years.

The league now has its marquee matchup in Toronto, the country’s biggest market, one that loves an event and, does so for the second straight year, no less.

It won’t be a sellout such as last year’s historic 100th Grey Cup, but this year’s East final is a big deal.

Kudos to Ticats quarterback Henry Burris for stepping up when the game, perhaps even a football legacy, needed to seized.

For the first time in four games versus Montreal, Burris threw a touchdown pass, a late-game major that Gable would turn into a spectacular pass-and-run play.

But Montreal took the ensuing kickoff and moved into field goal range to send the game into overtime.

The Als had possession first in OT, but could manage only a field goal, setting the stage for the Ticats.

What Hamilton did was turn to backup Dan LeFevour, who used his legs to fashion the game-winning major on a two-yard burst.

“Really good football team we played (Sunday),’’ said Ticats head coach Kent Austin, whose previous post-season visit to Toronto was in the 2007 Grey Cup, a game in which he would lead Saskatchewan to a title. “They (Als) played really well, a lot of credit to them.”

At halftime, the Als were leading 2-0 on a missed field goal and a punt single.

Burris wasn’t great, but he produced when he needed to step up.

Als QB Troy Smith, meanwhile, was average, but the players around him were below average.

Montreal’s kicking game once again did the team no favours and Sean Whyte’s future is now in question, a pending free agent who has missed too many gimme field goals.

In a weird way, Sunday’s semi was compelling, given that no team was able to establish anything or take control.

The second half began eerily similar to how the entire first half played out, an exercise in missed opportunities.

On Hamilton’s first series in the third quarter, the offence found some rhythm by throwing underneath, but no touchdowns resulted.

The Ticats’ inability to finish drives bit them when the Als engineered a 75-yard drive on four plays, capped off by a sublime pass-and-run by Duron Carter, a 29-yard major that silenced the crowd, announced at 13,320.

With the third quarter winding down and momentum clearly on Montreal’s side, the Ticats went to the school of gadget football, running a double-reverse that saw Dave Stala throw a pass near the goalline that Andy Fantuz could not come up with.

The quarter ended with the Als clinging to a 9-6 lead.

The game’s opening series pretty much set the tone for the entire afternoon, a possession featuring few gains, penalties and an offensive game plan that was as basic as any tackle or block.

Montreal ran seven plays, but generated only 15 yards when completing downfield throws was as scarce as a dry fan at windy Alumni Stadium.

On Hamilton’s opening series, the team’s quarterback rotation was once again on display. But no matter who lined up under centre, the Ticats couldn’t effectively run the football and the weather conditions forced many underneath throws.

It was that kind of day, a game of field position, a game that demanded execution. And when the attention to detail proved elusive in the brutal weather, the game became sloppy and virtually unwatchable.

EX-ARGO IS GOING FOR TWO

GUELPH — Evan McCollough won a ring with the Argos and he’ll now have to go through his former team to win his second successive Grey Cup title.

The challenge that awaits him and the rest of Hamilton’s defence will be as different as the weather conditions.

From the blustery wind to the pelting rain that characterized Sunday’s semifinal against Montreal to the cozy confines of the Rogers Centre, which next will Sunday play host to the East final, marking the first time since 1986 that the two historic rivals have met with a berth in the Grey Cup at stake.

“Wonderful,’’ McCollough said from Hamilton’s buoyant locker room. “Let me enjoy this win first. It’s going to be a handful trying to contain Ricky Ray and that Argos offence.

“I’ve got my old team and we’ve got to prepare just like we prepared for this game. One more ‘W’ and we’re in the Grey Cup.”

Hamilton’s defence allowed Montreal to produce just 15 first downs on the day and it actually yielded more rushing yards (163) than passing yards (142).

Rookie Als quarterback Troy Smith completed 14 of 26 passes for those 142 yards, was picked off once and threw one touchdown. Ray, however, is a three-time Grey Cup champion whose final game of the regular season featured 505 passing yards.